Mining-machine.



Patented Jan. MN. I

No, 665,!83. V

F. .1 CRANE. L, MINING MACHINE (Application filed In. 22, 1900.) (No Model.) n .3 Shuts-Shoot I.

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F. J. CRANE.

MINING IIAONINE.

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UNITED STATES:

PATENT OFFICE.

FRANCIS J. CRANE, OF ORIPPLE GREEK, COLORADO.

MINING-MACHINE.

$PECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 665,183, dated January 1, 1901.

Application filed March 22, 1900. Serial No. 9,726. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.- I

Be it known that I, FRANCIS J. CRANE, of Cripple Creek, in the county of El Paso and State of Colorado, having invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mining- Machines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention contemplates'certain new and useful improvements in machines for extracting the values contained in dumps or waste products of mining.

The primary object of the invention isto produce a mining-machine which will be simple in'construction and inexpensive, one

capable of being easily handled and operated, I

and which will require but a limited quantity of water to effect'the thorough washing of the ores and the separation of the fine dust from the rock. The invention will be hereinafter fully set forth, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation. Fig.2 isa top plan view. Fig. 3 isalongitudinal sectional view on lines 3 3, Fig. 2, and also showing in dotted lines the position the screw-cylinder is caused to' occupy when the tank is being cleaned. Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view on line 4 4, Fig. 2. Figs. 5 and 6 are views of the ends of the Fig. 7 is a view of the receiving end of this cylinder with parts broken away.

Referring to the drawings, A designates a frame, wherein is located a tank a, designed to contain a suitable quantity of water. Upon an end extension of frame A are mounted two shafts 1, upon which are grooved wheels 2 and beveled wheels 3. The latter mesh with beveled pinions 4 on a transverse shaft 5, upon which is a drive-Wheel 6, any suitable power being employed.

B is a cylinder composed of two imperforate end sections 1) b and a central flexible section 17 This latter section is made up of two screens b 'b, the'former being of heavy coarse mesh and the'latter, which is on the outside, of finer mesh of proper grade. The screens are held to the end sections by encirparticles is separated from the rock.

cling bands I) and screws b This connection between the end sections renders the cylinder flexible and practically indestructible, and by using the double screens, the inner one of which isof heavy coarser material, the ores in passing through the cylinder are well treated and a large proportion of fine On the exterior of each end section is a ring b These rings fit in the grooved wheels 2, and the cylinder is revolved by the shaft 5. The endsection b has an inner flange 7 at its receiving end, and into the latter projects a hopper 8, supported by a subframe 9. The

discharge from the other end of cylinder B is onto a hopper 10.

C is a cylinder containing a screw D, by

which screw the material discharged through hopper 10 is carried upwardly through water and discharged at'the upper outer end of the cylinder after it has been thoroughlywashed.

The cylinder 0 has an inner circumferential groove 11 at its receiving end to accommodate rollers 12, mounted on a cross-bar 13 of a second frame 14, and at its discharge end this cylinder is connected by a spider 15 to a sleeve 16, fast on a shaft 17, journaled on frame 14. Upon this shaft is a beveled gearwheel 18, which meshes with a pinion 19 on a shaft 20. A sprocket-wheel 21 on one end of this latter shaft is connected by a chain position, with the inner ends of its side bars When it is flow back to the receiving end. The surrounding fiange e at this end formsa well, in which quicksilver is placed for amalgamating and holding the fine particles of free metal as they are separated from the material undergoing treatment. The flights of the screw are formed with perforations c in parallelism to'the axis of the cylinder, so that the currents created by the water passing through them below the water-level will so act upon the material being elevated as to wash back the fine particles to the well, While the perforations in the flights above the water-level will cause the water to sprinkle back upon the rocks and thoroughly clean them before they leave the cylinder. In the cylinder above the water-level are perforations f, which permit the water raised by the screw to flow back into tank a, thus avoiding waste of water, which in some localities is exceedingly scarce. At the receiving end of the cylinder there is a second, but shorter, screw e terminating at its iunerend in one of the flights of the screw D. The receiving ends of the two screws are diametrically opposite to each other. This enables the screws to draw in material at each half-revolution and prevent its accumulation from running over the edge of the flange e and falling into the tank. Notwithstanding the fact that there is a space between the screw and the cylinder the former runs full of water and would soonempty the tank if the cylinder were not provided with the perforations f. At its discharge end the cylinder 0 has a flange f onto which the rock passes and from which it is discharged onto any suitable conveyer. I have indicated the outline of a conveyer at 10, Fig. 1. This conveyer preferably consists of a wide belt passed over rolls mounted in a frame supported at the discharge end of frame A. This belt will convey the rock to a dump, and any ore so covered with talc and dirt as not to have been removed during the treatment can be easily removed from the rocks as it is on the conveyer.

In practice the material to be treated is that usually found in mining-dumps containing generally three portions of val uescreenings, slimes, and ore. This material is deposited through the hopper 8 into cylinder B,- and by the revolution of the latter it is treated in a dry state and fine particles and talc separated from the rock will fall into a box or other receptacle placed beneath the frame. From the cylinder B the material is discharged onto hopper 10, which directs it into the receiving end of cylinder C. By the screw D the material is carried upwardly and outwardly through the cylinder, and the water in the latter serves to thoroughly separate the remaining fine particles and wet talc, and the former are by reason of the spaces between the screw and cylinder caused to flow back into the quicksilver-well at the receiving end of the cylinder, and by the sprays created by the water passing through the perforations in that portion of the screw above the water-line practically all the fine particles are washed from the rocks before the latter are discharged onto the conveyer.

It will be observed that the water in the tank can be continuously used, since there is but little or no waste or consumption. It will also be observed that the screw-cylinder being mounted on the pivoted frame maybe held up out of the way when it is desired to clean the tank.

For the purpose of keeping the entire machine in position to discharge the rock at the desired point I mount the frame A at its front; end on suitable wheels g with swiveled connections and at the rear end on wheels g, carrying grooved flanges g with which engage a worm g whose shaft 9 is supported by a bracket g and provided with an operating-wheel 9 By turning the worms g the machine can be moved as desired, as in working at a dump it is desirable to keep the machine close up to the work.

I claim as my in vention- 1. The combination with the water-tank, of a cylinder having one end extended into said tank and provided with perforations above the water-line, a pivoted frame normally occupying an inclined position, said cylinder being rotatably mounted in said frame, means for rotating said cylinder, a screw within the latter extending from its lower to its upper end, and conveying means onto which said screw discharges as the cylinder is rotated, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination with the water-tank, of a cylinder occupying an inclined position in relation to said tank, and into which it extends at its lower end, and having at such lower end an inner circumferential recess, an inclined frame having at one end rollers which fit in said recess of the cylinder, a shaft supported by said frame to which the cylinder is secured, means for operating said shaft, and a screw within the cylinder extending from the lower to the upper end thereof, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination with the Water-tank, of a cylinder occupying an inclined position in relation to said tank and into which it extends at its lower end, said cylinder being formed with perforations above the waterline and having an inwardly-projecting flange at said lower end, a screw within the cylinder extending from said flange to the upper end of the cylinder, said screw having perfora tions therein in parallelism to the axis of the cylinder, a shaft to which the cylinder is connected at its upper end, and means for rotating said shaft, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination with the Water-tank, of a cylinder occupying an inclined position in relation to said tank and into which it extends at its lower end, said cylinder having an inwardly-projecting flange at said lower end, a screw within the cylinder extending from said flange to the upper end of the cylinder, a shorter screw at the said lower end of the cylinder terminating within a flight of the former screw, said screws having perforations therein in parallelism to the axis of the cylinder, a shaft to which the cylinder is connected, and means for rotating said shaft, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination with the frame and the tank therein, of a second frame pivoted to the former frame, a cylinder, carried by said second frame, having perforations above the water-line, a screw within the cylinder having perforations in parallelism to the axis of the cylinder, and means for revolving the latter, substantially as set forth.

6. The combination with the frame and the tank therein, of a second frame pivoted on the former frame, a cylinder,-carried by said frame having longitudinal side bars pivoted to said uprights and-supported at one end, a cylinder mountedon said second frame and having a recess in one end, rollers carried by said second frame working in said recess, and means for revolving the cylinder, substantially as set forth.

8. The combination with the frame and the FRANCIS J. CRANE.

Witnesses:

- OWEN O. ROWE,. D. O..W1LLIAMs. 

